As more and more devices are using USB for power, I was hoping someone could advise on a solution for the bike.
I’ve seen a couple of cigarette lighter units that provide USB out, and if I was in my car, these would probably be ideal. However, I can’t afford a big tourer, so I’ve not got any cigarette sockets lying about the bike.
Does anyone know of anything that can be connected to a 12v battery that will provide standard USB power out?
Basically I’m trying to power my TomTom 720 in a tank bag for instructions. Audio works great through the autocom unit, but the battery on the 720 only lasts for about 4 hours. That’s going to be cutting things way to short for the upcoming French trip and I get lost trying to find the bathroom at home when the lights are out!
Any solution that gets 5V 0.5A to a mini-USB plug would be much appreciated. That’ll let me charge pretty much everything I own while I ride, and use the tomtom as a music source and for directions, would would rock muchly!
Yeah, but a TomTom rider would cost around 300 quid that I don’t have right now I was hoping that a way to power the existing 720 that I own would do the job.
The TomTom rider takes 12V from the battery to the base plate, and something on that plate steps it down to the 5V that the device uses, so that’s unfortunately not going to help as it is proprietary to the device.
So basically, instead of finding a 12V -> USB solution, just install a cigarette socket?
I was hoping to avoid this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, space is tight under the set on the ER6. with the Autocom under there already, I can’t actually find much place to put anything at all, let alone something with that bulk. Secondly, I was hoping to avoid this type of connection, because I know they’re prone to vibrating loose on boats and assumed the same would be true of bikes.
I also want the solution underseat, not mounted through the plastic in any way. I want all of the cables coming out in one channel (Autocom main, autocom input for GPS and USB power) rather than having multiple cables all over the bike.
If the whole cigarette socket is the only option, I’ll have to rethink a lot of runs and work something else out.
You could buy somthing like this and wire it to the battery then run a long USB cable from it to the Satnav.
If there is no room under the seat then put in the tank bag and run a cable from it to the battery under the seat. You can get some elegant battery connectors from Maplin that will make it look neat.
Just scroll down to find the 12v to 5v USB Power Cable. You’ll have to wire it up yourself to the battery, I’d suggest and in line fuse aswell but that should do you.
With my bike I’m wiring up a relay so that it only powers up my ‘accessories’ circuit when the ignition is on, may or may not be a useful idea for you to look into…
Sorry, didn’t clock the last bit of your starting post, so forget what I said.
12v to 5v is a bit odd. The theory is a simple step down transformer, the latest versions being about the size of of a disposable cigarette lighter. Where you get a 12 to 5 I aint got a clue. (Try the net?)
Maplins will happily sell you a usb cable and plug, but you may have to assemble the kit yourself.
Red cable/black cable/line fuse remain as stated earlier.
I got stuck trying to find the power block bits, but eventually found out that T2 enterprises sells the exact bits used in the above article. I’ll be putting all that together next weekend, and I’ll certainly be adding your usb solution.
Looks like you’re wiring up a relay pretty much exactly the same way as I am. If you happen to blow anything up - pm me just so I know not to do the same thing
I’ve just got all the parts from maplin, so will start wiring mine up in a week or so hopefully
This is interesting. It would be very tempting to wire in a nicely mounted USB port purely for charging. I went looking for USB Panel mount sockets but haven’t found a good one yet. The Maplin one is too big. Perhaps this. http://www.euronetwork.co.uk/acatalog/USB_Panel_Mount_Cables.html
I’ve pretty much got to the point where all the bits I’ve got will charge from USB; phone, ipod etc. I just checked and the eeePC is 12v-3A so that could be charged direct from the battery as well.
For GPS this helps to radically cut the cost as well. Put the GPS unit in the map pocket of a tankbag and you could buy one of the dirt cheap < 100 quid units instead of the premium price of the M/C specific ones.
This all looks like a good project for the summer’s expeditions.
BTW. I wish we could move USB to the mini size generally. I’ve never really understood why we needed all of A, B, Mini, Sub-mini. I also wish everything that will run on 5V USB power would have a mini socket instead of all the different sizes of bayonet socket. But that’s too much to hope for, and Apple will always break whatever standard appears.
I was planning if I ever needed power on my bike running a cigarette socket off the battery with the wire under the tank and ending up mounted between the clocks - this would be ideal in order to feed wire into a tank bag.
just fit a lighter socket under your set wired to battery they dont take up much space then you can use it for satnav, phone charger, MP3 player, pump alsorts really done it on my blackbird it fits in a space right nect to battery
or try to get one from a boating shop as they would be waterproof then mount in on ya dash/fairing area
to drop from 12 to 5v u need a rectifier…pretty sure a transformer will only work with AC current.
The easiest wat to achieve what u want is to buy a cigarette lighter to usb, pop it open, u will see the mini circuit board that is just a rectifier, some resistors and maybe a capacitor to smooth the voltage delivery in there. re wire to an igition feed via a mini blade inline fuse holder and ure done.
I did this some time ago on my bike and it works like a charm.
I was hoping that a way to power the existing 720 that I own would do the job.
